Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius has met today with Vice-President of the European Commission, Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry Günter Verheugen, who is on his visit to Lithuania. The meeting has discussed the current economic situation in Lithuania, the European Union, and the world. Günter Verheugen shared with Prime Minister Kubilius his reserved optimism concerning economic trends in the European Union and Lithuania in the short run. According to the Commissioner, Europe managed to avoid the worst scenario primarily due to the fact that integration processes did not slow down during the crisis, and also, because the EU member states did not recur to the protectionist measures to safeguard their markets despite several statements of intending to ...

Today Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius attended the ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the beginning of World War II in Gdansk. The solemn ceremony was held at the Defenders Memorial located in the territory of Westerplatte – the former Polish Military Transit Depot. This is the place where the first battle of World War II broke out as Nazi Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, following the Treaty of Non- Aggression with the Soviet Union. The Lithuanian Prime Minister together with other heads of European governments lit candles at the Cemetery of Defenders of Westerplatte in commemoration of the defenders and other victims of the deadliest war in the human history and visited the exhibition “Westerplatte: Resort – ...

Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius met with Israeli Information and Diaspora Minister Yuli-Yoel Edelstein. Prime Minister Kubilius pointed out that Lithuanians and Jews had enjoyed close and fruitful relations over centuries, which in the last two decades had reached an interstate level and turned into an important and prolific cooperation not only of mutual but also of global relevance. “All of us in Lithuania have a touch of Jewish-keit as well as Polish-keit and Belarus-keit us, as part of significant heritage from the multinational Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the pre-war independent Lithuania. The development of the bilateral relations should in the first place rely on this common cultural and historical heritage”, Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius said.

Prime Minister expresses his deepest and sincerest condolences over the death of the master-sergeant Eerik Salmus and sergeant Raivis Kang in Afghanistan to their families, the Government of Estonia and the people of Estonia.

Today in Vilnius, at the Castle on Gediminas hill, where 20 years ago the human chain that united the three Baltic nations started, the prime ministers have signed a Joint Declaration on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Baltic Way. The text of the Declaration is appended below.

Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius, Latvian Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis and Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip continue their informal meeting in Nida. The Prime Ministers have striken a good balance between leisure, work and sightseeing in Neringa enabling them to fully cover the issues of mutual relevance, such like measures to overcome the current economic and financial crisis and a long-term Baltic cooperation development perspective.

To mark the 20th anniversary of the Baltic Way, on Sunday, 23 August, the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian Prime Ministers will sign the Joint Declaration of the Prime Ministers’ Council of the Baltic Council of Ministers. The signing ceremony, which will take place at 12:00 hrs at the Gediminas Castle, and a press conference to follow will be available to view on the Internet.

On 21-22 August, ahead of the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Baltic Way in Vilnius, the three Baltic prime ministers and their families will gather for unofficial meeting in Nida, on invitation of Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius. Prime Minister Kubilius, together with Latvian Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis and Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip, will discuss in an unofficial environment issues common for all the three counties, i.e. economic, energy security, preservation of historical environment and strategic cooperation.

Discussions during the meeting between Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius and new General Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors Krystian Pater as well as representatives of PKN Orlen focussed on the activities of the company in Lithuania and pending problems to be addressed. Minister of Energy Arvydas Sekmokas was also present. Both parties described the meeting as an element of continued mutual understanding. An agreement was made to set up a task force for tackling the issues discussed during the meeting.

The today’s Cabinet sitting approved by common agreement the proposal to amend the Law on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effect of Public Information. Prime Minister suggested an amendment to Clause 14 of Part 1 of Article 4 Part 1 with a clear definition stipulating that “public information that causes detrimental effect on mental health, physical, intellectual or moral development of minors shall be deemed the information which agitates for any sexual intercourse”.

Today Acting Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius met with Martin Johansson, head of SEB Baltic operations, other heads of the Baltic division of the bank, and with Audrius Žiugžda, Chairman of the Board of SEB BBL. This year the parent SEB bank in Stockholm, seeking to focus on Baltic States, established a new Baltic branch which is supposed to assure the smooth functioning of subsidiaries under the conditions of shrinking Baltic economies.